TL1 Arkansas Travelers

First Half Closes with 5-2 Loss to NWA

Published on June 17, 2013 under Texas League (TL1)
Arkansas Travelers News Release


North Little Rock, Arkansas - The Arkansas Travelers closed out the first half of the season with a 5-2 loss against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on Monday night at Dickey-Stephens Park. Naturals first baseman Matt Fields (18) hit two home runs to tie for the Texas League lead and drove in three runs. The Travs end the first half in third place in the North Division with a 33-36 record, 1.5 games behind division champion Tulsa.

Twelve Traveler base runners were left on base as the club continues to struggle to score runs. Monday marked the fifth game in a row where the Travs scored two runs or less. Naturals righty Jason Adam (W, 2-8) got around six base hits, one hit batter and one walk in the first three innings to leave seven runners on base.

Adam finished six innings and allowed two runs on eight base hits with one walk and six strikeouts to earn the win, his first in three tries against the Travelers.

Michael Roth (1-2) threw the Travs' eighth straight start of at least five innings and no more than two earned runs allowed, but still took the loss. Roth gave up one of Fields's homers, a high drive that cleared the scoreboard in left field in the second inning, and a solo shot hit by Brett Eibner (7) in the fifth.

The Naturals built a 2-0 lead on those two homers before the Travs finally answered in the fifth inning. Randal Grichuk was hit by a pitch for the second time and advanced to third on a one-out double hit by Taylor Lindsey. C.J. Cron delivered a sacrifice fly to center driving home Grichuk to bring the Travs within a 2-1 score. Robbie Widlansky nearly tied the game but his hard grounder was smothered by third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert who threw to first to end the inning.

Roth came back for the sixth and got Fields to bounce to third baseman Jimmy Swift, who's throw to first sailed into the dugout for a two-base error. After Cuthbert popped out, Roth walked Manny Pina and threw a wild pitch on the same pitch to move Fields to third. With Roman Hernandez batting Roth caught Pina trying to steal second base with a pickoff move. Right as Pina was tagged out at second, Fields scampered home from third base to increase the Naturals lead to 3-1.

Travis Witherspoon homered (7) off Adam leading off the sixth inning to draw the Travs back to a 3-2 deficit. NW Arkansas left-handed reliever Scott Alexander came on for the seventh inning and walked Siwft before Grichuk was hit by a pitch for the third time. With Lindsey batting, both runners advanced on a wild pitch to move the go-ahead runs to scoring position. Still Lindsey popped out to medium-depth right field and Swift held at third base. Ahead 2-0 Widlansky hit a high chopper to second baseman Rey Navarro who flipped to Orlando Calixte for a force at second base. Calixte's throw to first just barely beat Widlansky for an inning-ending double play.

Alexander finished three inning in his second Double-A appearance allowing just one hit while striking out two for the save.

Caleb Graham threw a perfect seventh inning for the Travs. Nick Maronde pitched the eighth allowing a Calixte single and Fields's second home run, a low liner over the left field fence.

The second half of the Texas League season is set to begin on Tuesday evening with the Travs hosting the Naturals at 7:10 p.m. Manny Correa (3-6, 4.84) is going to pitch for the Travelers against NW Arkansas's righty Sugar Ray Marimon.

Check out the Arkansas Travelers Statistics

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Texas League Stories from June 17, 2013


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